Netarsudil in the management of refractory pediatric glaucoma.

We performed a retrospective review of patients with refractory pediatric glaucoma who were started on netarsudil at the Wilmer Eye Institute. We found minimally sustained IOP lowering over a 6-month period in 29 eyes of 23 patients. Our results suggest that although netarsudil is an alternative medication in the management of pediatric glaucoma, its efficacy may be limited in refractory pediatric glaucoma patients. In addition, careful cornea examination is required to evaluate for signs of corneal decompensation, especially in patient with preexisting cornea disease.

Maternity and family leave experiences among female ophthalmologists in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate family and maternity leave policies and examine the social and professional impacts on female ophthalmologists. PARTICIPANTS: Participants were recruited through the Women in Ophthalmology online list-serv to complete a survey evaluating maternity leave policies and their impacts. Survey questions were repeated for each birth event after medical school for up to five birth events. RESULTS: The survey was accessed 198 times, and 169 responses were unique. Most participants were practicing ophthalmologists (92%), with a minority in residency (5%), in fellowship (1.2%), on disability/leave (0.6%), or retired (0.6%). Most participants (78%) were within their first ten years of practice. Experiences were recorded for each leave event, with 169 responses for the first leave, 120 for the second, 28 for the third, and 2 for the fourth. Nearly half of participants reported the information they received about maternity leave to be somewhat or extremely inadequate (first: 50%; second: 42%; third: 41%). Many reported a greater sense of burnout after returning to work (first: 61%, second: 58%, third: 46%). A minority of participants received full pay during the first through third maternity leave events, 39%, 27%, and 33%, respectively. About a third of participants reported being somewhat or very dissatisfied with their maternity leave experience (first: 42%, second: 35%; third: 27%). CONCLUSIONS: Female ophthalmologists have varying experiences with maternity leave, but many encounter similar challenges. This study demonstrates that many women receive inadequate information about family leave, desire more weeks of leave, experience a wide variation in pay practices, and lack support for breastfeeding. Understanding the shared experiences of women in ophthalmology identifies areas where improvements are needed in maternity leave practices within the field to create a more supportive environment for physician mothers.